KaBar
10-25-2001, 08:47 PM
About 75% of the younger trainhoppers that I know carry and use a UHF/VHF scanner when they are in the Yard, waiting to catch out, or on board a train. The old timer tramps had a longer lead time on learning to tell what was going on by the movement of trains, movement of railroad personnel and crummies (crew buses or vans), sound of the air in the airbrake lines and so on, but since they often ride the same lines over and over again, in time, they got to know the trains, the railroad workers and the schedule so well, that they could predict (more or less) what was going to happen.
The younger trainhoppers aren't that patient. First of all, they aren't usually riding trains as a lifestyle, but more like a pasttime. They do it for fun, because it's a challenge, or just for the thrill and novelty of it, but they don't usually reside in a hobo jungle or live for extended periods of time outdoors. They may carry water and snacks and a scanner, but they don't normally carry a whole lot of gear, like the old timers are likely to do. Some of the older tramps I've met consider themselves "all-weather riders." Only the most extreme of winter weather will drive them indoors. The rest of the time, they are riding. Therefore, the younger hoppers are not inclined to lay around in the jungle watching trains hump cars or watch crummies deliver relief crews just to figure out what is going on. They want virtually instant information. They listen to the dispatch communications. In the military, they call this "gathering signals intelligence," or "SigInt."
The most important channel, obviously, for writers, is the railroad police, but they are pretty smart and if they realize that the graff guys are listening, they will switch to another channel, usually one that is not used much, in the field. This is why graffitti teams on the ground need to have somebody monitoring the entire railroad band. When I'm monitoring the radio and I hear people yakking like nobody else is listening, then I know it's the railroad police. The bulls think nobody on earth ever listens to what they say, and I've heard them talking about girls, what's up for tonight at the bar, deer hunting and all manner of personal business on the radio. That's cool. As long as they are busy talking about deer hunting, I'm not likely to be a problem that needs to be pursued. The engineers and conductors, of course, use strictly by-the-book radio procedure, complete with call signs and military time. Their conversations are recorded, that's why they are so strict and precise about it. The bulls' conversations are NOT recorded, and you can tell because they just talk about anything and everything.
I am a strong believer in the use of scanners. And as the railroad gets more sophisticated about it, so will we have to be more sophisticated about SigInt. I suspect eventually their radio chatter will be digitally encrypted, and we will be prohibited by law from trying to break the encryption. And some people will figure out a way anyhow. We always seem to do do so, LOL.
The younger trainhoppers aren't that patient. First of all, they aren't usually riding trains as a lifestyle, but more like a pasttime. They do it for fun, because it's a challenge, or just for the thrill and novelty of it, but they don't usually reside in a hobo jungle or live for extended periods of time outdoors. They may carry water and snacks and a scanner, but they don't normally carry a whole lot of gear, like the old timers are likely to do. Some of the older tramps I've met consider themselves "all-weather riders." Only the most extreme of winter weather will drive them indoors. The rest of the time, they are riding. Therefore, the younger hoppers are not inclined to lay around in the jungle watching trains hump cars or watch crummies deliver relief crews just to figure out what is going on. They want virtually instant information. They listen to the dispatch communications. In the military, they call this "gathering signals intelligence," or "SigInt."
The most important channel, obviously, for writers, is the railroad police, but they are pretty smart and if they realize that the graff guys are listening, they will switch to another channel, usually one that is not used much, in the field. This is why graffitti teams on the ground need to have somebody monitoring the entire railroad band. When I'm monitoring the radio and I hear people yakking like nobody else is listening, then I know it's the railroad police. The bulls think nobody on earth ever listens to what they say, and I've heard them talking about girls, what's up for tonight at the bar, deer hunting and all manner of personal business on the radio. That's cool. As long as they are busy talking about deer hunting, I'm not likely to be a problem that needs to be pursued. The engineers and conductors, of course, use strictly by-the-book radio procedure, complete with call signs and military time. Their conversations are recorded, that's why they are so strict and precise about it. The bulls' conversations are NOT recorded, and you can tell because they just talk about anything and everything.
I am a strong believer in the use of scanners. And as the railroad gets more sophisticated about it, so will we have to be more sophisticated about SigInt. I suspect eventually their radio chatter will be digitally encrypted, and we will be prohibited by law from trying to break the encryption. And some people will figure out a way anyhow. We always seem to do do so, LOL.